As I Move Forward
by Timcampy-chan
Summary: Crossover with Kyou Kara Maou! It was a boring summer, even in a world where demons existed. Until Yuuri found himself helping Lyndis defeat her granduncle and save her grandfather. Chapter 3: Blunt objects and empty heads don't mix.
1. Prologue: Another Other World

My first Kyou Kara Maou fic! Yay! Please bear with me... u.u;;

Although this crosses over with Fire Emblem 7: Rekka no Ken (or just plain Fire Emblem in the English version) you don't need any prior knowledge of Fire Emblem to enjoy this story. The plot of Fire Emblem unfolds with Yuuri and Wolfram tagging along. But there will be some changes in the game's story, for sure. Major or minor, I can't say right now. We'll just have to find out! And Fire Emblem fans are welcome to read this without any prior knowledge of Kyou Kara Maou as well--just think of the folks over at Shin Makoku as OCs and you'll be fine.

There might be a little bit of Yuuram in here. I think I'm doing it unconsciously, because I've never written shonen-ai before...but it's in itty-bitty amounts. Unless my inner fangirl comes and sabotages my work.

Yup, you guessed it, I don't own Fire Emblem or Kyou Kara Maou. If I did, there would be an anime based on Fire Emblem 6 and 7 out, and Kyou Kara Maou DVDs would be in stock at Barnes and Noble. x.x

Let's get started--Ready, steady, GO!

* * *

It had been a month or so since Yuuri had arrived in Shin Makoku (caused by a mishap involving a public pool), and normally, he'd be grateful to be able to get some excitement that uneventful summer. 

Normally.

But, strangely, nothing had happened. Absolutely nothing! No assasination attempts, no wars, no military deserters, no strange animals, no revolts, nothing at all. Gunter had taken advantage of this and doubled the Maou's tutoring sessions, a fact that left poor Yuuri studying harder than he had for his school back home.

Today was a particularly warm, lazy day, and Yuuri felt less inclined to Gunter's lessons than ever. He had somehow managed to hide from the man and his dreaded history books in a guest room that he had stumbled upon while wandering the castle one day ("How big is Blood Pledge Castle, anyway?!" he had often wondered, as he got lost often) and was seriously contemplating simply asking Ulrike, and begging the Original King if it was needed, if he could just be sent back to Earth. It might be a bit less dull there...

Lying on the bed, defeated and more bored than he believed he'd ever been, he let out a sigh. "I wish something would just happen," he complained aloud.

As if she had just heard his statement, Annissina burst into the room and nearly ripped the ornate door off its hinges. "Your Majesty!" she called.

"WAH!" The shock of the red-headed inventor startled him, and he fell rather ungracefully off the bed and onto the floor with a loud thump. Yuuri quickly recovered (hey, he'd had practice--Wolfram still wouldn't move to another room and insisted on pushing his fiance off the bed every night) and ran to welcome the newcomer to his hiding place.

"Hello, Annissina," he said, tilting his head to the side slightly to see what was behind her. A visit from Annissina surely meant another one of her inventions, which were often dangerous. But today, he was willing to take that risk for something to do. Behind her was a large...thing...underneath a blanket, being pushed, of course, by one of Annissina's frequent victims: Gwendal. Looking agitated, he was staring into the distance with an obvious desire to get away from his captor. "Oh, hello, Gwendal!" Yuuri added as he saw him. The tall, raven-haired man turned, hearing his name, and bowed to the Maou.

"Hello, Your Majesty," she replied, curtsying. "It seems that...well...there really isn't anything going on around here. So, I decided to whip something up for you!" Determined of the absolute greatness of the thing under the blanket, she punched the air with her fist. She unveiled it, and the machine revealed itself to be an archway, metallic and gleaming in the sunlight that streamed through the castle windows. Attatched to it by a cord was a box, covered in buttons, levers, and switches of all shapes, sizes, and colors...and a cup-holder that held a tasty-looking cup of iced tea with a lemon wedge in it.

Yuuri's eyes widened as he rushed outside to examine it. "Wooooww! This is so cool!" he exclaimed, examining the machine from every side. "What does it do?"

"It can send you to another place instantly! It needs to be charged with a large amount of magic, however. But Gunter already took care of that." She nodded in approval.

Yuuri shuddered as he heard, in the distance, pained sobs that could only belong to his silver-haired advisor, as well as a faint sizzling sound and the smell of burnt toast...

"Um...I'm fine. Thanks." He laughed nervously. He was beginning to think more rationally, and he slowly inched away from the woman.

"What? After I worked so hard on this? I'm sorry, but I have to insist--"

She was cut off by another voice. "Yuuri, could I talk to you for a second?"

Yuuri turned at the sound of his name and smiled when he saw the speaker. "Sure, Conrad." He hurried away after the man, eager to escape Annissina's clutches.

"Ah! Wai---" But it was too late. They had already fled. Her face fell, and, defeated, she said nothing for a brief moment. Suddenly, she gasped, and slowly turned towards her next victim. "...So, Gwendal, would you like to try out my machine?" An ominous gleam appeared in her eyes as she stared him down, smiling evilly.

Gwendal quickly said something about papers and broke into a run, heading for his office.

"Wait!! Come back!" called his pursuer as she dashed after him. "I'm not finished with you yet!"

---

After thanking Conrad so many times that the man, laughing pleasantly, had had to politely ask him to stop, Yuuri was left with nothing to do...again. Wandering about the grounds, he found his way outside, where a certain blonde Mazoku was practicing a new swordfighting technique. Wolfram was too absorbed in what he was doing that he didn't notice his unwilling fiance sit down by a fountain in the middle of the courtyard and watch.

The afternoon sunlight reflected off the blade as its wielder swung it about in graceful arcs. The slim sword sliced through the air, its nonexistant opponent.

"Hey..." Yuuri stated, a hand shielding his dark eyes from the bright light.

"Hm?" Wolfram spun around. "Oh! It's just you, wimp."

"What do you mean, wimp? I'm getting better at swordfighting!" he replied indignantly.

"Pfeh!" scoffed the swordsman, sheathing his weapon. "Whatever."

"I am! I'll show you!" He abruptly rose and reached for his sword...completely forgetting it was in storage. "...oh." He looked away, embarrassed.

Wolfram sighed. "Make sure that you've got your sword before you challenge someone!"

"I know...I forgot."

"Hmph. Fine. But don't make the same mistake twice."

"I really have gotten better," he restated. "I can show you, but I have to get Morgif first...Come on." The two set out for the treasure room.

---

With sword finally in tow, Yuuri frowned. _Couldn't I have gotten a cooler demon sword...? _he thought to himself, staring down at the white face in the hilt that was more pathetic-looking than threatening. Morgif was, as always, making strange moaning noises that had once been frightening. Now they were just plain annoying. The Maou was seriously considering taping its mouth shut...

"Hey! Pay attention!" Wolfram's voice caught his attention. "If I was an enemy I could've cut you down by now!" The boy glared.

"Okay, okay, I'm concentrating now." He assumed a fighting stance and looked at his opponent. "Ready?"

Wolfram nodded, and unsheathed his sword. He wasted no time and charged, only to be met by a neat parry. Yuuri pushed him back, and advanced next.

"What's that?" Wolfram pointed up into the air. The naive Yuuri looked in the direction his opponent had pointed.

"What?"

"Hmph. Wimp." He sighed and closed his ocean-green eyes. Bending down, he picked up a pebble and thew it in Yuuri's direction.

He had stopped searching the skies and faced Wolfram just in time to be met with a small stone that landed squarely in his forehead. "Ow!" After falling backwards and hitting the ground hard, he was met with a sword pointed in his face.

"I win"

"That wasn't fair!"

"Life isn't fair! People play dirty! You must be prepared for everything!" the blonde reprimanded, reaching a hand out to help the defeated Maou up.

He took the winner's hand and stood. "But still." He shuffled off, humiliated, and sat by the fountain again.

His fiance followed in silence and took a seat beside him. "...If you can't take care of yourself, something might happen to you," he said a bit unwillingly. "I don't really want to push you this hard, but..."

"Apology accepted." Yuuri smiled.

"I wasn't--! ...Gah." He turned away, blushing only very slightly. "You wimp." Wolfram lightly punched him in the arm, but it was enough to cause him to lose his balance.

"Waaaaah!" Although he flailed his arms madly, all he managed to do was grab the sleeve of Wolfram's shirt, and the two toppled into the fountain.

It seemed as if time slowed down as gravity pulled them closer and closer to the clear, shimmering surface of the water. A voice, somehow familiar, echoed in Yuuri's head, blocking out his thoughts...

_So you are looking for something to do, child? I have got a job for you. It may be difficult, but you will persevere. You are the Maou for a reason, after all. And I am certain that you are used to this mode of transportation by now, but your destination is not the same. Be prepared._

"What?!" cried Yuuri, as his body hit the cool substance and sank lower, lower than the fountain's volume, lower than even the ground. His grip on his companion's shirt tightened as they sunk further into the infinite watery abyss...

* * *

Thank you for reading! The next chapter might not come out for a while because report cards come out soon. I might be in trouble, and writing this could possibly get delayed...

Thanks again and please review!


	2. A Demon King and a Girl from the Plains

Hoorah! Second chapter! And I've got muses now! Edgey, please tell the wonderful readers the disclaimer.

Edgeworth: Not if you're going to keep calling me that.

Timcampy: What?! Please?

Edgeworth: Absolutely not.

Timcampy: Fine. I'll do it myself. I don't own Fire Emblem or Kyou Kara Maou.

Edgeworth: You've got so many other muses, why didn't you ask them instead...? I'm busy--

Timcampy: Now, on with the story! Let'sgetstartedREADYSTEADYGO!

Edgeworth: -glare-

* * *

His eyes were still closed and he didn't dare open them. What had that voice been? And where was he now? Light shone through his eyelids, bright and warm and from the sun...but everything seemed unfamiliar. The soft grass he lay on seemed foreign, almost...otherworldly? 

Consciousness slowly came back, and Yuuri realized that he had a sharp pain in the back of his head. Carefully sitting up, he opened his eyes.

A battered, bloody Wolfram lay before him, motionless, fresh crimson stains on his blue military uniform.

"Wolfram--?!" His hand flew to the Mazoku's wrist. "...there's still a pulse...Thank God for that health class I took that year..." he muttered to himself. "He's still bleeding pretty badly..."

In a panic, he frantically surveyed the surroundings. "It's just grass, grass, and more grass!! Aaarrgh! What am I going to do?!" He winced as the pain returned, sending his hand to the back of his head. "I must have hit it on a rock or something." Sure enough, a stone lay on the ground nearby.

He took a deep breath. "Calm down, calm down...Wait a minute, what am I doing?! I have to get help!!" He slapped himself on the forehead, punishment for his own stupidity in such a desperate situation. "OW!"

More punishment.

---

Emerging from a simple tent was a young woman, not more than eighteen. Her leather boots stepped in the green grass the plains of Sacae were well-known for, and she stretched her slender yet strong arms.

"Aaaah, what a beautiful day. "

She looked around the familiar land. Not that she needed to, she knew this place, the land of her birth, like the back of her hand. And, after all, six months alone allows plenty of time to spend with nature.

A small frown came upon her face. She bowed her head and stared at the ground, her teal hair obscuring her eyes, of the same color. _It seems like it was so long ago, yet at the same time, it seems like just yesterday that these plains were so bloody..._

Tears welled up in her eyes and she bit her lip to hold them back. "Mother...Father..."

"N-no. No more. They would want me to be strong..." Lyn looked up and sighed. "But why is it so hard?"

Her ears, sharp from years of being trained to hunt for herself, picked up a noise. Then again, it wasn't that hard NOT to hear it; whatever was making that racket was awfully clumsy and wasn't making any effort at all to hide their presence. Probably an injured animal, or...

Or...

"Bandits!" She ran back inside and hastily grabbed the nearest sword and a vulnerary or two. She wasn't counting; she had no time to waste.

She looked out the canvas door of her tent. The bandits were getting closer. She could see them now--wait. Were those really bandits?

Lyn squinted and held a hand up to block out the Sacaean sun.

"Help!" called one of the figures in the distance. It appeared that he was carrying something on his back. Lyn studied it carefully. Was that a...

"It's another person!! Noah!" A horse, secured to a tree next to her house, whinnied. She swiftly mounted it and rode to aid the strangers.

---

_It's comfortable...and warm..._

_But..._

_Am I dead...? And what about..._

"Are you awake?" asked a female voice to his right.

"Oh, I'm so relieved...I'm glad you're alright." A familiar voice breathed a sigh of relief.

Wolfram opened his eyes and turned to Yuuri. "Yuuri..."

"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Lyn, of the Lorca tribe. You're safe now," said the woman.

"Who are--" Wolfram abruptly rose, only to fall back down again, his faced screwed up in pain. "Ah!"

"Hey, don't do that! She just bound up all your wounds! They'll get worse if you move around too much." Yuuri nodded in approval, flaunting the knowledge he'd gained from the same health class that had helped him make sure Wolfram was still alive.

"You wimp, it's your fault, you hit your head on that rock and I had to fight all those guys alone." He scowled and glared at his black-haired companion.

"Bandits?" Lyn rose, clutching the hilt of her sword.

"I took care of all of them," Wolfram stated, a hint of pride in his voice. "There were a lot, but they were no match for me. One caught me by surprise though."

"Hm." She eyed him, slightly taken aback by his boasts.

"Where are we, by the way?" He looked around. It was just Yuuri, himself, and the girl, apparently named Lyn, in a room made from some type of brown cloth. Maybe canvas or the skin of some animal.

"The Sacae plains," replied Lyn.

"Sacae...? Where's that?" Yuuri turned to Lyn and cocked his head.

"Umm...the continent of Elibe?"

"Huh?"

"Y-you don't know you're in Elibe?!" she exclaimed, shocked. "Where are you from then?"

"Shin Makoku?"

"Eh?"

"Uh...Japan?" Yuuri said, clearly on the verge of panic.

"Where's that?"

"Earth?!"

"N-no idea..." she replied, apologetically.

He stood. "There's only one way now." With a grave expression on his face...

...he clicked his shoes together.

"There's no place like home. There's no place like home."

Silence.

"IT'S NOT WORKING!!!" sobbed the Maou. "It worked in that movie, why isn't it working now?!"

"Umm..." Lyn, confused, attempted to console the distressed boy.

Wolfram sighed. "You idiot."

"What are your names?" Lyn asked hastily, changing the subject.

"I'm Yuuri."

"I am Wolfram."

"What unusual names...But pay me no mind," she added, noticing the annoyed look on Wolfram's face and the disappointed look on Yuuri's. "You must be travelers if you've no idea where you are...Could you please tell me about where you come from?"

Heavy footsteps from the outside caused all three to turn to the door.

"What was that...?" Lyn thought aloud. "I'll go see what's happening. Yuuri, please wait here with Wolfram." She left, the hem of her blue-green tribal dress behind her.

"...I don't like her," stated Wolfram, scowling. "She's too nice to you."

"But she helped us! Don't be so rude!" retorted Yuuri in Lyn's defense. "If it wasn't for her you'd probably be dead!"

"But I still don't like her."

The Sacaean woman re-entered. "Bandits!"

"What?!"

"The ones that I missed..." Wolfram stared at the ceiling. "I was clumsy today..."

"I...I have to stop them!" Lyn began to rush outside, but Yuuri caught her arm.

"You can't go alone. Let me help."

"Can you fight?" she asked.

"Y-yes. I can use a sword," he replied, a tone of anxiety in his voice.

The injured Mazoku scoffed.

"Hey, that's not doing any good for my self-esteem!" complained the Maou.

"Don't worry," their rescuer reassured, "We'll be working as a team. Besides, there's only two..."

"Two? What kind of bandits only send two men?"

Lyn paused and thought for a second. "...You're right...but it's to our advantage. And since there are only two of them here, Wolfram should be safe as well..."

"Okay..." He didn't look entirely confident as he watched the girl's long ponytail slip through the door and followed after her.

Wolfram, now alone, was left to stare at the ceiling."...I hate this."

Yuuri suddenly ran back in. "Wolfram, are there other swords here?"

"Huh? Over..." Wolfram noticed some swords and bows in the corner of the tent. "There." He pointed. "But you've already got a sword."

"I don't want Morgif scaring Lyn," he explained, picking out an iron sword and exiting again.

Morgif, set down on a chair beside Wolfram's bed, groaned in disappointment.

* * *

Thank you for reading! I hope you liked it! Edgeworth hopes so too. Right?

Edgeworth: ...

Timcampy: I'll call the fangirls. You don't want what happened last time to happen again, do you...? I'll tell them to bring video cameras this time. We could post it on the internet...

Edgeworth: Yes, I really hoped you all enjoyed the story.

Timcampy: Good job, Edgey!

Edgeworth: ...Thanks. -scowl-

Timcampy: Please review!


	3. Rock, Fist, Lance?

It's chapter 3! ...and we're still in the prologue. Whoops. I'll try to speed things up. Doesn't help that I wrote half the chapter on Sunday and it got erased because I accidentally closed the window. Gah! But I managed to make it twice the normal length, so I hope you all enjoy it. x3

It's a little late for this, but although this isn't pairing-centric, I'll be leaning towards KentxLyn and ErkxSerra. Any YuurixWolfram is Wolfram's fault and Yuuri, oblivious as ever, doesn't know a thing about it. (Without Yuuram, Wolfram is out of character!)

As for my other story, I'm a little stuck with _Tactless_. Any ideas?

Once again, I don't own Fire Emblem or Kyou Kara Maou.

* * *

"Yuuri! Over there!" called the young woman, pointing in the direction of two burly men wielding heavy axes. 

Her companion's face fell. "A-are you SERIOUS?!" he exclaimed, incredulous. "How the heck to you expect me to fight guys like that?!"

Lyn rubbed her chin. "Good point. You don't exactly look the part of a fighter."

"Hey!"

"But there's only two of them, so we should be fine. I'll take that one," she pointed out a figure standing before a ger a short distance away, "and you can fight the other."

"B-by myself?!"

"I believe in you!" She flashed him a smile (simultaneously planning a way to distract her opponent and run to Yuuri's rescue) and hurried off to face the muscular bandit.

Helplessly he stared after her, clutching his iron sword to keep his hands from shaking. Now that he took a good look at it, it appeared much flimsier than he thought it was, and he secretly wondered if the stainless steel knives his mother had bought from that shopping channel were more dangerous...

Reluctantly he took a step towards the bandit, but, after studying the man he would be fighting, he shrunk back in fear at the man's bulging, battle-scarred muscles.

"She can't be serious..."

The dull eyes of the bandit turned to the black-clad teenager that was approaching him. He grunted in recognition of his opponent and charged, his heavy footsteps thudding against the earth as he ran.

"Wait, you can at least tell me when you're going to come!!" As the bandit drew closer and closer, Yuuri clumsily unsheathed his sword, falling over in the process and narrowly avoiding decapitation from the huge, crudely made axe that swung just above his head.

The hulking man's axe swung again in a vertical arc, and Yuuri rolled over to dodge. "Gyaaaah!" he cried, as the axe landed with a resounding thunk into the ground where he had been only seconds before. But before he could breathe a sigh of relief the axe was ripped out of the dirt by its wielder, taking a large chunk of earth with it, and aimed once again to mutilate the Maou.

_He's just too strong for me...!_ resolved Yuuri, gritting his teeth in the struggle to block the axe with his sword. _I can't beat him with strength alone..._ Suddenly, a radical idea came to him, and he jumped back, causing the bandit to stumble slightly.

"Look!! Over there!!!" he shouted, pointing towards the forest behind the bandit. Falling for the trap, the bandit spun around dumbly, vainly searching for whatever had been seen.

_Ha! I've got him now! I just hope this works!_ Grabbing a fist-sized stone by his feet, he tossed it hard at the bandit's head. A hollow thud was heard, and the giant fell face-forward into the grass. _Yes! Thank you, Wolfram!!_

Inside Lyn's tent, Wolfram sneezed.

Upon closer inspection, Yuuri realized with horror that he should have used a smaller rock. "I...I think I threw it too hard..." Yuuri said to himself, recalling too late the fact that he was a baseball player, and a good one at that. "I hope it doesn't cause permanent brain damage..."

"Good work!" called Lyn, waving as she approached. "I knew you could do it." Mentally, she admitted to herself that her rescue plan wasn't all that great. "But why isn't there anything on your sword?" she asked, scrutinizing the blade he held and the fallen man who lay before them.

"I'd rather not say."

----

"Finally, we're here!" Lyn stretched as she dismounted her horse. "It's been a long time since I went to Bulgar."

Carefully dismounting as well, Yuuri cast a glance at the young woman and smiled sadly. _It's amazing how she can suffer such a loss, and still be cheerful. _Her tears and pained expression as she begged to travel with them were still fresh in his mind. He couldn't imagine losing so many loved ones at once...and, of course, he had agreed to aid her. They had to find their way home, anyway, so another companion wouldn't hurt, he had told Wolfram.

"How did you recover so quickly, Wolfram?" inquired Lyn as the three tethered their horses that had been generously donated by a nearby tribe. "It only took a few days for you to be well enough to travel..."

"Hmm." The blonde boy shrugged. "I don't take a long time to heal." Wolfram, on the other hand, had been a bit skeptical to the idea and had brought up all the disadvantages. But, in the end, Yuuri's pleas had won him over and they brought Lyn along.

Yuuri nodded. "He does." _I'm pretty sure it's a Mazoku thing...when we first met Hube, he was injured badly too, and he was perfectly fine in almost no time flat... _he pondered, then he added quickly, "It runs in his family."

"Ah, I see. But how does such a trait run in one's family?" she asked, rubbing her chin. "I've never heard of anything like that."

"Umm...Well, you see--" started Yuuri, but luckily, he didn't have the time to invent a story before a green-clad knight approached their group.

"Oh, my heart!" he exclaimed, stopping before Lyn and getting down on one knee. "What a dazzling vision of loveliness!"

Wolfram immediately stepped before Yuuri defensively. Lyn swiftly turned her back, attempting to ignore the kneeling man, but he persisted.

"Wait, O beauteous one! Would you not favor me with your name? Or better yet, your company?"

Yuuri, leaning to one side to see past the blonde boy standing in front of him, noticed the man's eyes seemed to be sparkling. How odd...

"Where are you from, sir knight, that you speak so freely to a stranger?" she hissed, glaring down at him.

A minute later Lyn stalked off, Wolfram and Yuuri following close behind, leaving the strange brown-haired man wincing in pain at the sharp punch in the stomach he had received from the "dazzling vision of loveliness".

"Let's go. I've had enough of that...that...augh! We need to buy supplies for our journey."

_Apparently, she's not happy. _Fearfully Yuuri distanced himself from her and resolved to stay on the Sacaean's good side at all times. He took a last look at the flirtatious cavalier they had left behind, who was now being scolded by a fellow knight.

"Conrad...? No, wait, he's got different hair," he mused, taking a closer look at the second man, clad in crimson armor.

"Hey! Stop daydreaming and get over here!" shouted Wolfram, who was already far ahead of the black-haired teenager.

"Ack! I'm sorry!" Yuuri dodged a wooden vegetable cart that was rolling straight for him and frantically sprinted to catch up.

----

After a few hours of shopping, Lyn seemed to be in good spirits again. She was pointing out a few areas to visit on a crisp, newly purchased map.

"First, we should head to the shrine here. It's sacred to the--huh?" She stopped in her tracks, not a second too late, for the three were now facing the hindquarters of a pair of horses.

"Hey!" Wolfram shouted, spotting the owners of the animals. "Your horses are in the way!"

"Don't just demand like that..." As she folded up her map she frowned at him. "It's impolite...even if one of them is that horrible lecher from earlier."

"Peh. So is punching a man in the stomach," he retorted.

With his face obscured by a large box, Yuuri's attempts to stop the squabble were left unheard. _That man did deserve it,_ he thought. _He's lucky she didn't decide to kick him instead, a little lower than she punched him..._He shuddered and rushed ahead towards their horses, vulneraries, rations, and other various things in his arms.

"I had good reason!"

"Please, can't we just all get alo--WAH!!!" Upon a crack in the pavement his foot caught, and he toppled over, the things he carried flying about as he fell.

"Yuuri!" cried his two companions simultaneously, and Lyn gathered up their scattered purchases while Wolfram helped up Yuuri. The crimson-armored knight knelt down to help as well.

"My apologies..."

"Thank you. You, at least, seem honorable enough." She reached for a vulnerary.

"Hm?" His eyes shifted focus from the task at hand to her blue-green eyes as he set his hand down on the nearest object. "Pardon me, but...I feel we've met before..."

"I beg your pardon?" Neither of them noticed that their hands were touching, until the green knight loudly complained to his partner, apparentely named Kent, about it. Lyn, horrified, turned the color of Kent's armor and grabbed as many of her things as she could before stomping off, screeching that the noble knights of Lycia should consider heading to a certain unpleasantly warm place for a permanent vacation. She continued to mumble darkly after the first outburst, and Yuuri thought he heard her say something about dirty perverts and a particularly nasty bit about an alternative place to store their lances...

He sent an apologetic look in the direction of the humiliated Kent and the green knight he was now taking his distress out on.

----

Three horses gallopped away from the city of Bulgar, closely followed by a mob of bandits who each wielded their own axe.

"Why are there always bandits following you around, Lyn?!" cried Yuuri, clinging onto his dark stallion for dear life.

"Shut up and focus on getting away!" bellowed Wolfram.

Lyn's hair, like a banner, flew behind her as they rode. "But how? They're right on our tail!!"

"Would you rather face them all head-on?!"

"At least then we'd have a small chance!!"

The Mazoku's ocean-green eyes closed as he thought. "...Fine."

"F-fine?!" Yuuri nearly fell off his horse in surprise. "Why?!"

"If we die, we die fighting!" he replied, screeching to a sudden halt and neatly sliding off his mount, rapier already drawn.

"Are you serious?!"

"He is. Come on!" Lyn also stood her ground, blade at the ready and shining in the sunlight. An unseemly man approached their group, laughing sinisterly.

"Heh heh heh heh..." he snickered, looking the young woman up and down. "Aren't you the pretty one?"

"Trust me, I've had more than enough of that today," she snarled. "What do you want with us?"

"Your name is Lyndis, is it not?"

Her eyes widened and she stepped back. "Wha...What did you call me? ...Who are you?"

"Lyndis...? What is this all about?" asked her blonde comrade sternly, putting a tighter grip on his weapon.

"Such a waste. An absolute waste. The things I'll do for gold." The man sighed, and a menacing smirk appeared on his ugly features. "Ah, well. Time to die, darlin'! Come on out, boys!" He turned to faced the scattered trees, expecting hordes of his fellows to emerge...

Less than a handful appeared, shuffling apprehensively out from behind the trees.

"W-what!?" he screamed. "Grrr...If you want something done, you gotta do it yourself!" With a battle cry he raised his axe, ready to bring it crashing down on Lyn's skull.

"Ah!!" Lyn raised her sword to shield herself from the blow, but it never came; the bandit crumpled to the ground in a heap with a large lump on his head. She spun around and found herself face to face with the red-headed knight (despite the fact that he was on horseback), who now lowered a lance and smiled at her, grinning a bit sheepishly.

"You--! You're from--"

"Hello, there!" called the red cavalier's fellow, trotting up to the group. "Whew, finally caught up...Luckily, my boon companion and I finished off most of those cowards. Such numbers against a girl..." He shook his head in distaste. "Without a shred of honor, each and every one of them!"

_What does he know about honor...?_ thought the other four simultaneously.

"It appears there are still a few left, milady," the orange-haired man said, noticing the remaining bandits in the distance. "I'll take care of this."

"No, this is my--" started Lyn, but she paused when she noticed that they had all fled in terror when their leader had fallen. "...fight...?"

"...A-anyway." He cleared his throat. "I am Kent, knight of Lycia. My companion is Sain." Sain waved from atop his horse.

"And," he continued, "if your name truly is Lyndis...

We must discuss an important matter with you."

* * *

Cliffhanger! Well, not really. You should already know what happens next if you're reading this.

Thanks for reading and please review! Also, a question for you readers: Wolfram is gay. Definitely. He also definitely wears a cravat. Does that mean that whoever wears a cravat is gay? If so I will personally rip the frilly collar off a certain lawyer...


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